The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has unveiled its Global Innovation Index (GII) for 2025, revealing Belgium’s strongest innovation performance since 2013. Belgium climbed three positions to secure its 21st place globally among 139 economies, marking a significant achievement for the country’s innovation ecosystem. This year's report highlights significant shifts in global rankings, emerging trends, and the ongoing evolution of innovation ecosystems and especially evidences Belgium’s consistently high performance across key indicators of innovation capacity. In particular, Belgium attains the 6th position in Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD), 6th in R&D executed by the business enterprise sector, 6th in the share of knowledge-intensive employment, 7th in researchers expressed in full-time equivalents per million population, 7th in R&D financed by business enterprises, and 10th in the indicator of business sophistication.
The GII 2025 report identifies the leading innovative economies, with Switzerland maintaining its position at the top for the 15th consecutive year. Following closely are Sweden, the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore. Notably, China has entered the top 10 for the first time on the 10th place, reflecting its growing influence in the global innovation arena.
From a European standpoint, Belgium made a great performance in the GII 2025 report, submitting 2,615 patent applications to the European Patent Office in 2024, with 66% originating from Flanders. This regional distribution demonstrates Flanders' position as Belgium's innovation powerhouse, ranking 9th among European regions.
Leading Belgian filers include IMEC, Solvay, Syensqo, Umicore, KU Leuven, the University of Ghent, with the Antwerp University and Flemish research institute VITO also in the top 10.
Belgian universities, particularly KU Leuven, have emerged as leaders in the European patent application landscape. The institution's commitment to research and innovation has positioned it at the forefront of technological advancements.
Source: WIPO GII-ranking
Research and VC investments
Despite the positive advancements in innovation rankings, the GII 2025 report indicates a slowdown in global investment in research and development (R&D). In 2024, R&D growth fell to 2.9%, and projected to fall further to 2.3 percent in 2025, the lowest rate since the financial crisis of 2010.
Whereas sectors such as ICT hardware and services, software, and pharmaceuticals have experienced robust R&D growth of around 10 percent, other key industries, such as automotive and consumer goods, have seen declining revenues constrain R&D budgets. This trend raises concerns about the sustainability of innovation momentum.
Venture capital, once expected to rebound in 2024 after a 2023 collapse, remains stuck in a prolonged slowdown. While VC deal values increased by 7.7 percent, mainly mega-deals, the total number of deals declined. The VC landscape is becoming more concentrated on the US and information technology (IT) and AI-related sectors.
Performance of Middle-Income Economies
The report emphasizes the ascent of several middle-income countries, including India, Türkiye, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Morocco. These nations are demonstrating robust growth in their innovation capabilities, showcasing the diversification of global innovation. Notable middle-income Performers are India, ranked 38th, leading the Central and Southern Asia region; Vietnam: continues to show strong performance, ranking 44th and Morocco climbing to the 57th position. For further insights and detailed statistics, the full report can be accessed here.
Should you require assistance in securing protection for your innovation in Belgium, throughout Europe, or on a global scale, please get in touch with our team at info@dcp-ip.com . We provide tailored legal guidance and comprehensive support at every stage of the protection process.
